1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to oil spill clean-up apparatus for removing oil spilled into navigable bodies of water, e.g., an ocean, lake or river. The apparatus comprises a ship or vessel, and a large plurality of centrifugal separators on the vessel for receiving an oil-water mixture pumped from the body of water into distribution piping on board the vessel.
2. Prior Art
Various types of oil-collecting systems have been devised for removing oil that has spilled into a large body of water, e.g., when an oil tanker has capsized or run aground.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,766 to Horne, et al., relates to a ship-mounted oil-collecting system including two floatable suction heads adapted to rest on an oil-water surface for pumping an oil-water mixture through flexible lines into a vacuum tank on a vessel. Periodically, the oil-water mixture is transferred from the vacuum tank to a larger holding tank. The system is designed to provide a continuous suction force on the suction heads, even if the suction heads should temporarily be lifted out of the water for any reason.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,944 to Mercuri shows an on-board oil-water separator comprising a series of tanks of graduated height and arranged so that the oil accumulates as a surface layer on the water in each tank. The liquids are selectively drawn from each tank to achieve a gradual separation of the oil from the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,605 to Chastan-Bagnis, et al., discloses a skimmer vessel having a longitudinal channel for directing an oil-water mixture upwardly into an elevated chamber. Water apparently flows downwardly out of the chamber through an evacuation duct, leaving waste materials in the elevated chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,399 to Eller shows an oil recovery vessel having a pontoon structure arranged to float on the oil-water surface, and a submersible liquid intake tube means attached to the pontoon structure. An hydraulically-powered pump means is located within the tube means for pumping an oil-water mixture into a separator-means within the vessel.
Most of the noted prior arrangements do not appear to achieve complete separation of the oil from the oil-water mixture pumped into the vessel. In most cases, the oil separator action is a slow-going process that significantly limits the quantity of oil that can be effectively handled in any given time period.